The Herald Times View: Time to size up those assessments

It’s that time of year again. The Board of Review hearings are ready to take place in Otsego County, in the coming week for the county’s nine townships and the week after for the City of Gaylord.

Now is the chance for property owners to speak up if they disagree with the new assessment they should have received in the mail recently. This notice shows the new taxable value on the property, which is used to calculate taxes owed on the holding.

Some may file this information away with merely a glance. Others may look at it, not understand the contents, believe there is nothing to be done about it anyway, and file the document away. Still others may have questions or believe that the assessed value is incorrect and want to do something about it.

These hearings allow taxpayers to speak up if they feel something is wrong, or even if they just have questions about the assessment. And if you don’t speak up now, you lose the chance to complain later.

Advertisement

But, as Gaylord City assessor Debbie Dunham says, property owners who want to challenge the new assessed value should do their homework and come to the hearing prepared with ample appraisal and sales information about comparable homes in their neighborhood to help make a case for a change in the assessed value.

Maybe your question can’t be answered at the meeting, Dunham says, but if you don’t go and pose it in the first place, you have no recourse when you receive your tax bill.

So, carve out some time to attend a hearing if you have a disagreement, a question or a comment.